Archive for June 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-06-open-source-website-features-blueprints-lab-on-a-chip.html A new MIT-designed open-source website might well be the Pinterest of microfluidics. The site, Metafluidics.org, is a free repository of designs for lab-on-a-chip devices, submitted by all sorts of inventors, including trained scientists and engineers, hobbyists, students, and amateur makers. The researchers modeled their Metafluidics site after popular open-source repositories such as GitHub—a free site →

https://opensource.com/life/16/6/fun-and-semi-useless-toys-linux?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY There are several minor tools and applications out there that keep popping up in my toolkit. You might not call any of them “killer apps,” but darn it, they’re fun to play around with and they sometimes take you in interesting directions. This collection has computer art, image manipulation, fractals and music. →

I need power supplies for different eletronics circuits. I decided to get some cheap switch mode power supply modules 5Pcs Mini DC Adjustable Power Supply Buck Module Step Down Module (available also as single unit). The ideas was to try to use them instead of power wasting traditional linear regulators. 5Pcs Mini DC Adjustable Power →

https://opensource.com/open-organization/17/5/5-devops-laws “A good engineer is a lazy engineer,” some will say. And to a certain extent, it’s true: Laziness is a great quality if you’re automating repetitive tasks.” Banish the phrase, “I don’t know” . But saying, “I’ll have to do some research,” or “I know someone that might be able to point me in the →

https://opensource.com/life/15/9/how-open-film-project-cosmos-laundromat-made-blender-better?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY At the beginning of August—the 10th, to be exact—the Blender Institute released Cosmos Laundromat: First Cycle, its seventh open project (and sixth open movie). Cosmos Laundromat is a 10-minute short film animation for grown-ups. It’s also the Blender Institute’s most ambitious project to date, serving as a pilot for the first fully free and open animated feature film. The →

https://opensource.com/business/16/6/10-tips-new-github-projects?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY GitHub has become a fairly central part of many open source projects. Although many people focus on the code-hosting aspect of GitHub, the platform also includes comprehensive features for issue management, code review, and integration with many other tools and platforms. For new open source projects, however, getting started and ensuring that GitHub repos are →

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/design/bespoke-processors-cheap-lowpower-chips-that-only-do-whats-needed This article tells about interesting approach to processor design: Starting with a Texas Instruments openMSP430, they produced bespoke designs. “Our approach was to figure out all the hardware that an application is guaranteed not to use irrespective of the input,” says Kumar. What’s left is “a union, or superset, of all possible paths that data →

https://techcrunch.com/gallery/worst-volume-controls/ Fed up with those sensitive volume sliders? It could be A LOT worse. Redditors dreamed up the most absurd possible interfaces for controlling the sound on a video. →

https://opensource.com/article/17/6/5-totally-incorrect-ways-exit-vim?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY Vim can be a challenge to learn. But for many first-time users, just exiting the program can be a problem. This article gives solutions to this serious problem that many Linux/Unix users face every day. →

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-linuxs-built-in-usb-attack-protection/ USB is insecure. There are USB sticks that will destroy your computer, USB sticks loaded with spyware, and even official enterprise USB sticks infected with malware. Windows and Macs are easy to crack with USB-borne tools. There are devices like the USG USB stick firewall, which can protect you. Linux users can stop attackers armed with USB sticks with USBGuard software. →